Of Magic
by Aranel-o-Aduial
Summary: When Arthur develops magic, he is told that Emrys can help train him. But when Morgana threatens to attack Camelot, can he keep his new powers secret?
1. Of Sleepy Prats

**Author's note: Okay, this is my new story! I wrote this because I noticed the lack of completed fanfics with this plot, and I have found that this plot is ****_incredibly_**** hard to write, so now I know why. Anyway, this takes place after "Aithusa," so, spoilers. No slash, but I suppose that it could be there if you squint. The pairings that I wrote are Arwen, and I suppose there might be a little Freylin, but I didn't really plan on it if you see it. **

**I'll try to update this every day, but, as I said, this plot is very hard to write, and I'm not finished yet, so there may be pauses in updates.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Merlin._**

Arthur was grumpy.

He had been having a pleasant dream about Guinevere before _Merlin_ had ripped open the curtains with his usual call of "Rise and Shine!" and Arthur's usual reaction of rolling over and groaning. Merlin was definitely _not_ a good substitute for Guinevere, (though Gwaine would make jokes to the contrary,) and he did _not _want to have to deal with the bubbly manservant at the moment.

And Arthur felt _different_ that morning, as though something was stirring inside him, and his body was reacting in a way opposite his mood, which, though it should have changed his attitude, made him even grumpier. What did his body think it was doing, rejoicing in gods know what, when he was forced to open his eyes and face the fact that his dream hadn't been real? He winced as the light streamed into his eyes, and he silently willed the curtains to close so he could _get some sleep_!

So, the curtains decided to close.

Arthur shot up, eyes wide as he searched for his sword and the culprit. Seeing nobody, he realized that there was only one answer- _sorcery_- but that didn't make sense! The only person who would want the curtians to close would be _him, _and he was no sorcerer. At least, he thought not.

Meanwhile, Merlin was panicked. His magic was out of control! He didn't even _want_ those curtains closed, and yet there they are, shut! How could this happen?

Arthur made eye contact with Merlin, and there was an awkward moment of silence as they stared into each other's wide eyes. Then Arthur spoke:

"Must've been a breeze," Arthur said, trying to reassure himself as much as Merlin. He was no sorcerer.

"Yeah," Merlin swallowed, both of them knowing full well that the window was closed.

An unspoken agreement passed between the two of them. They would not speak of this again.

And the thought was soon pushed from both their heads as Merlin reopened the curtains and Arthur realized that the idiot was _late_, and he had a council meeting. He rushed out the door.

...

Arthur was exhausted. He plopped down on his bed, letting out a moan. Though his chair was very comfortable, his bottom ached from sitting for so long and his head hurt from the discussion of taxes. He ordered Merlin to get him ready for bed, and, after dismissing the manservant, promptly fell asleep.

He woke up in the middle of the night, feeling strangely light. He threw off his covers as he realized that they were holding him down, and gasped as he saw them fall down back onto the bed.

He was _floating_!

He yelped, falling to the ground as what he suspected was a spell broke, as well as the bed after his fall. Arthur was just sitting up with a groan when Merlin burst into the room like a good servant would, though he had no reason to be in that part of the castle at the time. The warlock gaped, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"_Mer_lin! What are you doing here?" Arthur exclaimed, not wanting his manservant to see him enchanted, because that was _clearly_ what was going on, and Merlin shut his mouth quickly. He had just been on his way back to Gaius' chambers after calling the dragons to check on Aithusa when he heard a crash and quickly ran into Arthur's room to see what was wrong. After reflecting over this, he realized that he could quickly divert the topic.

"I heard a crash! What happened?"

Arthur frowned as he realized that his manservant had effectively avoided the question, then realized he didn't really have a logical answer to that question.

"I... broke the bed," Arthur stated, confused at what happened himself.

"You what! How did you manage that?"

Arthur paused. Why did Merlin have to always ask the right questions? He couldn't exactly say, "I was floating, and I fell," now, could he? That would raise too many questions, and he planned to find the person enchanting him himself, _without_ Merlin's help, thank you very much!

"I don't know," Arthur lied, and Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"How do you _break your bed_ without knowing how you did it! That's ridiculous!"

"I..." Arthur paused and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "...I don't know..." he answered, this time honestly. How _could_ you break your bed without any recollection of the incident? Then the answer came to him.

"I must've been asleep," he said, and Merlin snorted.

"You were asleep! I think breaking your bed would wake you up!" Merlin said incredulously.

Arthur frowned. That didn't work. He sighed, "Well, I'll be needing a new bed if I want to sleep," he stated, raising an eyebrow at Merlin. The warlock gaped.

"And I expect you want me to get you one?" he asked.

"Yes," he said, and Merlin laughed.

"Well, I don't think I can afford one, _sire_," he explained, and Arthur frowned.

Looks like he was sleeping in the guest quarters.


	2. Recurring Incidents

**Author's note: Thanks for all the positive feedback and constructive criticism! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Merlin_****.**

The curtains closed again.

That sentence in itself shouldn't stir too much confusion in Arthur's mind, but, considering the circumstances, it caused much panic in the young king. _How_ did the curtains close of their own accord and to his will, if not by sorcery! But he was _not_ a sorcerer, and he didn't think he could be evil enough to be one to save his life, because all sorcerers were evil, right?

But if the curtains _were_ closing because of _him, _that would make him an evil sorcerer! He refused to believe that he was one, not after his father, even though, in his mind, it was the only explanation that was making sense.

All of the strange happenings of the day before pointed to this, and it was confusing him to death.

He was even more confused than Merlin, who was beginning to doubt that it was _his_ magic doing the curtain-shutting. And Arthur looked panicked. But he couldn't have magic, so who was doing this?

He shook his head. It was probably just a breeze. But the window was closed...

Merlin and Arthur looked at each other, and once again silently agreed to say nothing of the occurence. Though Arthur would break this vow that same day.

...

Arthur was alone.

He had decided to take a walk in the most remote part of the castle. Most servants would stay away from the area if they valued their lives, rumors of ghosts and demons haunting those halls. Of course, Arthur would occassionaly come across a lost newcomer or a servant with a lot of gall roaming the corridors, but, for the most part, they were deserted. And that was just what he needed for what he was going to try.

Arthur was _certain _that he didn't have magic, but, after thinking over it for a while, he concluded that it _was_ a possibility, him having been born of it. So, he would test out his supposed _'powers_' and eliminate the possibility once and for all. He focused on a tapestry on the wall.

It flew over and hit him in the face.

Arthur panicked.

He had _magic_.

…

To say that Arthur burst into Gaius' chambers would be an understatement. He threw the door open, yelling out "Gaius!" instead of his usual "Merlin!" The physician jumped and raised an eyebrow, and Arthur heaved a sigh of relief to see him there.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" he said, and Gaius' eyebrow crept higher at his words.

"Where else would I be?" he asked, and Arthur stiffened a bit more.

"Oh, here, but with the curtains and the tapestries, there have been so many surprises-" Arthur was cut off as Gaius approached him and slapped a hand to his forehead, brow wrinkling in concern. He removed his hand and frowned.

"You don't have a fever," he stated, and Arthur frowned.

"Why would I?" Arthur asked, confused.

"Listen to yourself, boy! You're talking nonsense!"

Arthur gaped for a moment, then shook himself out of it, saying quickly, "Oh, no, it's not nonsense, it's just there have been so many weird things going on, and now this-"

"Calm down, boy! Now, would you care to explain your current state?"

So Arthur did, starting with the closing curtains right up to him barging into Gaius' chambers, Gaius' eyebrow perpetually frozen in place after his explanation. Arthur sighed at the physician's expression.

"Do you think…?" Arthur asked, not daring to finish that sentence. Gaius simply nodded and said:

"Yes, it seems to be the only logical answer. You have magic, Arthur."

Arthur froze at his words. Inside, he already knew that he had magic, but to hear the physician say it out loud made the words take on a whole new meaning. He gulped.

"C-can I make it go away?" he stuttered in a very un-kingly fashion. Gaius shook his head.

"I'm afraid that your magic is here to stay," he said, and Arthur swallowed again.

"B-but, the law…"

"Should have been removed a long time ago, Arthur. Don't you think that this might be a sign for you to-" Gaius stopped. Arthur was shaking his head in denial.

"No, Gaius, the law is important."

"But, surely you don't think magic is evil, now that you have it yourself?" Gaius asked incredulously, and Arthur paused for a moment, sighing.

"Maybe," he said, "But I need time, Gaius. I need to learn to control… this," Arthur said, and Gaius nodded.

"_That_, I may be able to help you with," the physician said, and Arthur looked up abruptly.

"Really? You can help?" Arthur said excitedly, and Gaius shook his head, Arthur visibly deflating.

"No, not me. I _do_ know of a few books that survived the purge and could help you, but I lost my talent with magic a long time ago," he said, and Arthur sighed before Gaius said, "But I _do_ know of a person who could teach you…"

Arthur perked up, "Who? Who is it, Gaius?"

Gaius frowned. "I'm not sure he'd be willing to help with the law still in place. Besides, I don't have any proof yet," Gaius said. Arthur raised an eyebrow and his eyes glowed, the cork of a bottle coming out and hitting the king in the eye. He grunted in pain. Gaius gaped, then shook himself. "So, you really _do_…"

Arthur nodded, "Now, who is this person, Gaius?"

Gaius frowned, "I told you, he probably won't be willing to-"

"_Who_, Gaius?"

The physician sighed, "His name is Emrys, sire."

Arthur nodded, "And where can I find this 'Emrys?'"

"I'm not entirely sure, sire," Gaius lied, not willing to expose his ward, "If I see him, I'll tell him you were looking for him. Now, about those books- I was informed of a section in the library…"


	3. Emrys

**Author's note: Again, thanks for all the positive feedback and criticism! You guys are great! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _Merlin._

Gaius really wanted to put his foot in his mouth, but, being a physician, he knew that wasn't possible without much discomfort and possibly a dislocated jaw.

Merlin _may_ have been talking about Arthur and how he wished 'that prat knew what he did for him,' and, in a moment of poor judgement, Gaius _may_ have let it slip that Arthur would probably find out soon enough, and he _may _have let Merlin know that Arthur was having trouble with magic, and said warlock _may_ just be glaring at him.

Merlin was aghast, "Arthur is needing help of the magical kind, and you're just _now_ telling me?"

Gaius put his hand up, "Now, Merlin, I said that he was _having trouble _with magic, not that he was needing _magical help,_" the physician explained, then muttered, "Though he may _want_ magical help..." under his breath. To Gaius's great dismay, Merlin heard.

"Well, what's the difference? He's the bloody king of Camelot! If he _wants_ magical help, the situation _must_ be serious!" Merlin said, and Gaius knew that the warlock had a point. He sighed, realizing that Merlin's help would probably be what Arthur needed.

"Well, Merlin, don't go revealing yourself over this," the physician relented, "Though I'm not sure you can use your _usual_ disguise around him anymore..."

Merlin grinned mischievously, and Gaius internally shuddered, though he would never do so on the outside. "Well, I've got an idea that _just_ might work," he said.

Gods help us, Gaius thought as Merlin ran to his room and came out with his traveling cloak.

...

Merlin headed to Arthur's room, cowl over his head and face covered in shadow.

It was a simple enchantment that Merlin used on the cowl- one to shroud his face in darkness when the hood was up. However, it wouldn't help if the hood was pulled down, so he would have to keep Arthur's hands away from his head if he wanted to keep his identity safe.

This enchantment would help him help Arthur without revealing himself, and, after silently knocking out the guards, he double checked to make sure that the enchantment held before he pushed open the door to the king's chambers.

Arthur was doing paperwork. He had found that the paperwork was now a normal thing, and though he had gotten plenty during his time as prince regent, he found that the amount of it increased with kingship. He sighed and put his quill down, exhausted, only to be jolted awake as his door opened and a hooded figure walked into his chambers. Arthur stood up, reaching for his sword, only to find that the weapon was not at his side. His eyes widened and he looked around the room to find it, only to see it being picked up by the hooded figure. Arthur panicked and stuck his hand out instinctively- a normally futile gesture, which the hooded person must have been smirking at under the suspiciously dark shadows of their cowl. Arthur briefly considered making his sword fly towards him so that he at least had some kind of defense against his visitor, but quickly remembered that most of the things he had called to him had hit him in the head, and, seeing as he didn't feel like being impaled at that moment, lowered his hand a bit.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

The figure chuckled, though not at all menacingly, and Arthur almost raised an eyebrow at the familiar sounding voice. He felt like he should recognize it, and the figure seemed to think so, too, seeing as he cleared his throat to disguise it. Arthur almost rolled his eyes, but the figure's next words put all thought of eye-rolling from Arthur's head.

"Emrys, and my purpose is my own," he stated, then seemed to rethink his words and said quickly, "But I mean you no harm, so..."

Arthur ignored the last part, as he had relaxed at the name. "So, Gaius sent you, then? You're here to help me?" Arthur asked, and Emrys probably raised an eyebrow under their cloak, judging from what they said next.

"Gaius mentioned me to you?" Emrys asked, confusion in his voice. Arthur nodded.

"Yeah, he said you could help with the whole..." Arthur said, making a circle with his hands.

"The whole what?" the figure asked, and Arthur frowned.

"You mean to tell me Gaius didn't tell you _why_ you were coming?" Arthur asked, and Emrys paused for a moment before shaking his head. Arthur figured that the shadows were enchanted, seeing as they didn't move with his cloak.

"No, he just said that you needed help of the magical kind," Emrys said, and Arthur walked over to his bed and sat on it, resisting the urge to lay back on it.

"Yeah," he said, and Emrys sat down beside him, Arthur feeling a bit uncomfortable to have a sorcerer sitting on his bed next to him. The king frowned at how Emrys relaxed, like he was enjoying his chance to test the softness of the king's bed. He froze, though, as the sorcerer asked his question.

"Well, what do you need help with?"

Arthur took a deep breath and summoned his courage as he focused on a goblet. It flew towards him, and Arthur _just_ managed to catch it before it hit him in the head, something he was sure Merlin would have wanted to see, and he would _not_ allow. Emrys froze as Arthur sighed, putting the goblet down.

"That," he said, and Emrys seemed to be gaping, though Arthur couldn't tell.

"You- You have magic!" the sorcerer exclaimed, forgetting to disguise his voice for a moment. Arthur nodded, though his eyes narrowed a bit at Emrys's true voice. He _knew_ that voice, though he couldn't place it. Emrys scrambeled off the bed and stared at Arthur, the king imagining the shock on the sorcerer's face. He headed towards the door in a frenzy, and Arthur gaped.

"W-wait!" he called out at the last minute, and Emrys stopped, "I thought you were going to help me!"

Emrys seemed to stiffen at his words, and turned around to face Arthur as much as could be done with enchanted shadows over your face.

"I-I'll come back next week," Emrys said, still forgetting to disguise his voice, and Arthur frowned at the tone of it, as though the figure was trying to decide on something, and just needed time to think. But, Arthur saw that he was not to be dissuaded and nodded.

"Okay, just... don't tell anybody," Arthur stated, and Emrys noddded, grabbing his hood as it almost fell away, and leaving a perplexed Arthur to wonder.

He didn't have long to wonder, though, because, just as he was thinking over what he had heard, Agravaine burst into his chambers, and he sat up straight.

"Agravaine! What is it?"

"My lord! Morgana has taken over Cenred's lands!" Agravaine said, and Arthur could've sworn that he was almost smirking.

...

Morgana smirked as she gazed out over the battlements. She had done it! Not only did she have a spy in Camelot's midst, but she had an _army_.

Cenred's lands had been in anarchy after the death of their king and Morgause, who had assumed lead of the country when she killed Cenred. Morgana frowned as she remembered her sister's sacrifice which had turned out for nothing. She _would_ be avenged.

It seemed that Cenred's kingdom had just needed a leader after the death of their rulers, and her victory was more of an 'assumption of rule' than a takeover, and all it had taken were a few words and a show of power from her followers for her to take over the citadel. Now, all she had to do was plan, and that could take a while, she thought.

But, she knew that this time, she would _win_.


	4. The Next Week

**Author's note: Thanks again for the feedback! You're going to hate me for the cliffhanger.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Merlin._**

Arthur was antsy. A week had past, and Morgana hadn't made any moves on Camelot. What could her plans be?

If Merlin noticed Arthur's constant pacing, he didn't say anything. The boy was probably thinking the same thing as him, though, so it didn't matter.

And Merlin _was _thinking of Morgana, but more pressing on his mind was the fact that today was the day when Emrys was supposed to visit Arthur again, and Merlin had just managed to wrap his mind around the fact that _Arthur_ had magic. It made sense- he was born of it, after all, but Merlin couldn't figure out why Arthur hadn't made any moves to remove the ban. Was he that much of a hypocrite?

No, Merlin thought, he just was afraid of the consequences. After all, hadn't he suffered enough at the hands of magic, even if he _did_ see that it wasn't evil? (Which Merlin knew due to several speeches that the king had made to his manservant during that week.)

Yet Morgana would attack whether or not Arthur repealed the ban, because her mind wasn't focused on magic anymore. It was focused on _revenge_.

And, Merlin had decided that it was time Arthur heard about a certain prophecy.

Arthur's voice ripped him out of his thoughts. "Merlin, you're making me nervous. Stop fidgeting and go shine my armor or something," the king said, and Merlin realized that he finally had his chance. He could use magic to do all his chores while he went to Arthur's room with his cloak. He nodded quickly and slipped out the door before Arthur could say anything about his strange behavior.

Not that Arthur _could_ say anything about his behavior in the state he was in. The real reason Arthur had sent Merlin away was because he expected Emrys wouldn't appear until the manservant was gone, probably so the two of them could have some privacy. He stopped his pacing with a sigh and sat down. He wanted to ask the sorcerer if he could help with Morgana, anyway. WIth the promise of repealing the ban on magic, he was sure that Emrys would help. He seemed good enough, anyway.

And, just as Arthur was thinking this, Emrys slipped through the door, and Arthur acted exactly the same way he did the first time the hooded figure entered his chambers. He stopped about halfway through his antics when he realized that the intruder was just Emrys, though it was now a panicking Emrys. He sighed and sat down on his bed again, and Emrys relaxed.

"So, are you going to help me?" Arthur asked, and Emrys nodded, grasping his hood as he did so so that it didn't fall down.

"Yeah, I figured I should," Emrys said, and Arthur imagined he was smiling under his cowl as he said, "I feel oblidged to, anyway."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Emrys snorted, "I've saved your life more times than I can count! It'd be a shame to let you go without training!"

That made Arthur raise both his eyebrows, "_You_ saved my life? When?"

Emrys was probably raising an eyebrow under that hood of his, "I _said_, more times than I can count! You _are_ the once and future king, after all," he said, and Arthur's face was that of confusion.

"The once and future king?" he asked, and Emrys nodded, holding on to his hood again.

"Yes, the one destined to bring magic back and unite Albion, with the warlock Emrys at his side," he explained, and Arthur was surprised.

"_Me_?" he asked, and Emrys nodded.

"You," he said, and then quickly added, "Though don't think I saved your life just because of that, though. You're a good man, Arthur, and you'll be a great king," reminding the king of all the speeches that he had heard from Gwen and Merlin, though that wasn't relevant at the moment.

Arthur took this in. _He _was destined to bring back Magic to Albion and _he_ was destined to unite the kingdoms, and _Emrys_ had been protecting him all along. It made sense, when he thought about it- all those coincidences that could _never _have happened normally, like falling tree branches and random fires. He probably would've been dead if Emrys hadn't been protecting him, and, by the looks of it, Emrys must know him quite well, and he probably knew Emrys, too. He _did_ recognize his voice, though he couldn't place it. He put a hand on Emrys' shoulder to show his thankfulness.

And his hood fell down.

Arthur gaped and Merlin gasped, trying and failing to grab the hood and pull it over his head again.

"_Merlin!_"


	5. Emrys Discovered

**Author's note: Thanks again for the feedback! Kind of a short chapter, but I felt like it was good to leave it off where I did. I... kind of made a horrible joke in here concerning nicknames, so... please forgive me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Merlin._**

Merlin almost laughed at the thinking that Arthur was doing. It wasn't like him to think things over before speaking, but, then again, he _was _going through a lot of positive changes lately. Maybe he would finally repeal the ban on magic, after all.

Then Arthur seemed to come to a conclusion on his mind, and put his hand on Merlin's shoulder to thank him in a way that wouldn't actually involve _thanking_ him, and Merlin's hood fell down.

Merlin panicked, and pulled at his hood frantically, failing to pull it up with his shaking hands. Then Arthur called out "_Merlin!_" and he knew his battle was up. He put down his hands and sighed, daring to meet the prince's eyes and see the shock written across his face.

Merlin forced a grin.

"Hey, Arthur."

Betrayal flit across Arthur's face at Merlin's confirmation of what he saw. How could Merlin not tell him this? He told Merlin everything! How could he keep something this big from him?

Oh. The law.

He still hadn't repealed the law, and he was now _supposed_ to turn Merlin in, along with himself.

And, now that he thought about it, he _himself_ hadn't told Merlin about his magic. Sure, he had told Gaius and Emrys, but he hadn't even told his best friend for fear of what Merlin might say or do. He was being a hypocrite!

Though, couldn't Merlin have told him when he first found out that _Arthur_, too, had magic?

Arthur decided that he should know the whole story before he jumped to conclusions.

"How long-" he started, then cleared his throat as his voice _didn't_ crack, "How long have you had magic?"

"All my life," Merlin said, and Arthur gaped. That was possible? He had kept this secret for _that long?_ The small amount of hurt that Arthur had felt grew a little stronger.

"And you didn't think to tell me when you found out that I had magic, too?" Arthur voiced his thoughts, and Merlin winced.

"Well, I _did_, but I was going to wait for a while to see if you really _would_ repeal the law..." Merlin said, and Arthur felt anger bubble inside of him, alongside with his newfound magic.

"That's no excuse!" he exclaimed, and Merlin winced again, "How could I keep the _law_ up when I, myself, was breaking it! You should've told me!"

Merlin was silent for a moment, guilt written across his face as Arthur glared at him. After a moment he turned his head and spoke:

"I'm sorry," he said, and looked up to meet Arthur's gaze, eyes watery. "I guess... I'm just a coward. After keeping it secret for so long..." he paused for a moment, then tore his gaze from Arthur's, "...I guess I just got caught up in all the lies."

Arthur's expression softened. Merlin looked truly broken in that moment, and he couldn't stay angry at him when he wore the expression he was wearing. He placed his hand on Merlin's shoulders again, trying to look as reassuring as possible as the warlock looked at him again.

"Well, _Emrys,_ are you going to train me or what?" he asked, and Merlin grinned mischievously. Arthur figured that he was not going to like Merlin's next words.

"Yeah, _Wart_," he said, laughing at Arthur's expression and then scratching the back of his head when he realized a problem. "Um, could we go somewhere more... _private_? We don't exactly want people walking in here, do we?"

Arthur swallowed as he imagined what would happen if Agravaine walked in his room while he was practicing magic. Arthur didn't really feel like being executed today. He nodded, thinking of a clearing in the forest that he had found.

"I know just the place," he said, and Merlin nodded as he pulled his hood up, grinning goofily as he did so.

If the guards noticed how many times Arthur left for the woods that week, they didn't say anything.


	6. Plans

**Author's note: Thanks for the positive feedback! Glad to see my awful joke made some of you laugh! For those of you who wanted me to show some of the lessons, I may still do that, so don't be sad! It might take a while to write, though, as I'll have to translate the spells and such.**

**Speaking of which, this may be the last chapter for a while. I have hit a small block, and, though I now know where to go, I am having trouble getting there. I think I might just finish the story before I post another chapter, which won't be too long! I promise I'll have it out soon! I'm determined to not leave this story hanging! Besides, I'm awfully bored this spring break, and I'm running out of good fanfiction. I'll just have to write a HP crossover myself, huh?**

**...Don't worry! I'll finish this story ****_before_**** the crossover! I still need to reread Harry Potter, anyway...**

**Oh, gosh, I wouldn't be surprised if this author's note is longer than some of the chapters! Sorry for rambling!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Merlin_****.**

A few weeks passed, and Arthur and Merlin had become rash. Merlin had come up with the idea of using his chores for Arthur to practice, and the first time they had done it, something went wrong. A servant sent by Agravaine burst into Arthur's chambers without knocking, words on his tongue quickly vanishing as he saw the floor being magically scrubbed and Arthur in a chair with his hand out, Merlin supervising him.

"You're doing well, Arthur. Just a little bit more and we can move on to-" the panicked look on Arthur's face silenced Merlin as he looked, wide-eyed, to where the servant was standing. The poor boy was shocked beyond his wits, and Arthur stood up, the various cleaning utensils stopping their motion and some clattering to the ground. He glared at the boy.

"You will not tell a soul what you have seen here, do you understand?" Arthur stated in his 'obey' voice. The servant nodded frantically and dashed out the door, all thoughts of his message forgotten. Arthur sighed, Merlin waving his hand and cleaning up the mess that the servant had caused.

"Wonder what that was about," Merlin stated, and Arthur frowned as he moved to the door.

"Probably something about Morgana. I should head to the council chambers," he said, and Merlin swallowed, following after him as he left the room.

...

It was probably a good thing that Arthur guessed what that servant was going to say, because, as it turns out, he was right in assuming that it was about Morgana. Her army had been seen approaching Camelot.

Merlin didn't really pay attention to the meeting, as it seems that Morgana had several sorcerers in her army and he was thinking of ways to remedy that problem. Finally, the meeting stopped, and Merlin was allowed to talk to Arthur of his plan.

"Uh, Arthur?" Merlin started as they headed back to the king's room, said man deep in thought. He grunted in reply, and Merlin said, "I think I could get the druids to help, if you want," he said, and Arthur was snapped out of his thinking.

"The druids?" the king asked, raising an eyebrow, "You really think that they would help?" Arthur asked, and Merlin nodded.

"Yeah," he started, then swallowed and blushed as he said, "They kind of worship Emrys, so..."

Arthur stopped and Merlin nearly ran into him. He turned around, surprise on his face. "You mean to tell me that you're the ruler of the druids?" he asked, and Merlin's face turned a little bit redder.

"...kind of?" he said, and Arthur turned around and stormed back to his room, Merlin struggling to keep up.

"You could've said something about _that, Mer_lin!" he exclaimed, and Merlin swallowed again. As Arthur finally entered his room, thinking for a moment, then saying, "Go ahead- I'll inform the council that I was thinking of repealing the ban on magic, anyway. I've given them enough hints," he stated, and Merlin nodded and left Arthur's room to call the dragon.

...

Kilgharrah was _not_ pleased with being asked for a ride, but, considering the circumstances, he didn't mind _nearly_ as much. He flew down to the closest clearing that could fit him near the druid's camp, Merlin sliding off his back and heading in the direction of said camp, only to be stopped when he saw Iseldir waiting for him. The druid leader bowed.

"Emrys," he greeted, and Merlin swallowed at the use of his title.

"Hello," he stated, and then, after an awkward pause, Merlin finally said, "I guess you know why I'm here?"

Iseldir nodded, "Yes, and we wish to help. We will gather as many druids as we can, though I do wonder why King Arthur has agreed to our help," he said, and Merlin shifted his feet.

"It's a long story," Merlin said, and Iseldir nodded.

"One we do not have time for," Iseldir said, and then, nodding to Merlin, bid him farewell and walked off.

After a moment's confusion, Merlin called, "Thanks!" after him, and Iseldir chuckled, leaving Merlin to ponder over the strange conversation.

...

Morgana smirked as she overlooked her army. She had managed to gather about a hundred sorcerers to follow her, plus the ranks of Cenred's army.

Camelot didn't stand a chance.


	7. Training Before Battle

**Author's note: Thanks for the feedback, as always. See! Told you it wouldn't be long!**

**Anyway, the battle still needs some major editing, and the epilogue is shorter than the last chapter's author's note, but it's done! This is mostly filler, though, so you get that training scene! I hope it lives up to your expectations! Just a warning, this is going to end on a strange note, as I am planning a sequel! I don't have any ideas yet, but I figure by the time I'm tired of writing the Harry Potter crossover, I'll have an idea.**

**Speaking of, I've already started my Harry Potter crossover, as I've finished this story, and I'll have that up as soon as I think of a name for it.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Merlin._**

"Forbearnan!"

"Hilderand!"

Arthur sent a blaze of fire at Merlin and the warlock set up a quick shield, rolling his eyes as he sensed Arthur's lack of effort. The idiot wasn't going to get any better if he wasn't going to try!

"Come on, Wart, you can do better than that!" he shouted to rile Arthur, and his lazily cast shield flickered as Arthur pushed his magic forward. Merlin stumbled a bit, annoyed. The king was going to have to be able to use his full potential _while_ he was calm instead of unleashing all his energy whenever he got angry. Merlin waved his hand and Arthur was knocked back with a glow of the warlock's eyes. Arthur looked up, irritated as Merlin walked over to him with his arms crossed.

"This is _exactly_ what I've been telling you. You have to be able to use your full potential while calm and have control while angry."

Arthur glared at Merlin as he stood up, "It's always something, isn't it!"

"Yes, it is!" Merlin shouted, losing patience, then sighed as he realized that he was losing his temper, calming himself and continuing, "And it will be for a long time. You're still learning, Arthur, and there's absolutely _no way_ that you're going to be ready to face another sorcerer before Morgana gets here if you don't stop your whining and start trying."

Arthur opened his mouth to complain, but then realized that Merlin had a point. If he was going to learn, then he was going to have to start listening to the warlock. He nodded, and Merlin smiled, and stepping back. Arthur prepared to attack, but was stopped as Merlin grinned and shot a fireball at Arthur, the king just managing to call out "Hilderand!" like Merlin had taught him and put up a weak shield, which the small ball of flame bounced off of before flickering out of existence. Arthur frowned as his quickly-made shield vanished with it, and Merlin smiled.

"Well done!" he said, clapping a bit, "Though that pose was awfully over-dramatic," Arthur frowned as he realized that Merlin hadn't even been trying.

"You said that I should try harder! Why aren't you using your full potential, then!"

Merlin just raised an eyebrow.

"Do you _want _to die, Arthur?"

...

Arthur was surprised by the council's reaction to the druids helping them. All of the older members took it very well, and the younger members were soon shut up when they realized that they could do nothing to sway the king.

"...And I'm going to repeal the ban on magic after the battle," Arthur said, and most of the council just nodded as though it didn't really surprise them, though the younger members looked aghast, though silent. Geoffrey actually had the nerve to look smug about it, as though he had seen it coming. Arthur thought it was probably because of that blasted prophecy Merlin had gone on about.

"We lived in the time before the purge," one of the older members explained at seeing Arthur's surprise, which the king thought he had hidden beneath his usual mask. Apparently not. "We remember the time when we lived in peace with sorcerers, and we think that we can live that way again." he continued, and Arthur simply nodded, understanding.

"Well, then, now that that's settled..."

...

Arthur stood beside his knights, preparing for battle as a cloaked figure suddenly appeared at his side. Several of the knights raised their swords in surprise, and Merlin just raised his hands up, Arthur giving the order for his knights to desist.

"About time you got here," Arthur said. He had wondered where Merlin had gotten to, and Sir Leon looked up in surprise.

"Sire, you know this man?" he asked, and Arthur nodded.

"He's a friend," he said.

Merlin must've been grinning under that hood of his when he said, "Aw, never knew you cared,"

Arthur had to restrain himself from smacking Merlin over the head, as that would make his hood fall down. Merlin chuckled as he saw Arthur glaring at him, and Arthur sighed.

"Have the druids come yet?" he asked, and Merlin shook his head, holding on to his hood. The knights must've realized that the shadows were enchanted as they didn't move with the cloak, as they suddenly looked wary.

"No, but I'm sure they'll be here," he stated, and Arthur nodded, looking in front of him as the enemy appeared in front of Camelot. Merlin put a hand on his shoulder, nodding to the king.

The small amount of relaxation that Arthur gained was soon lost as Morgana stepped out of the ranks and smirked at Arthur.

"Hello, brother," she said, her eyes glistening maliciously. Arthur frowned at the sight of his sister, and she seemed to grow happier at his expression. "By the look on your face, I suppose you're going to give me one last chance to leave, am I correct."

Arthur just nodded gravely, and Morgana's expression of glee vanished to be replaced with one of pure malice.

"You determined my answer to that a long time ago," she spat and gestured for her army to move forward, yelling "Attack!"

Arthur assumed a fighting stance and Merlin stiffened. The battle had begun.


	8. The Battle Begins

**Author's note: Thanks for the feedback again, and here's the next chapter! I should warn you, I am terrible at writing battles, (though this might be the best one I have written yet), so constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Merlin._**

The first thing Merlin did was send a wave of power at the sorcerers, knocking down most of the first row, though some of the magicians anticipated the attack and blocked it. He ran forward as several of the knights dispatched the fallen sorcerers, surprised at their fall, but taking advantage of the weakness of the enemy. Then Merlin was thrust into a battle with a sorcerer.

It was relatively short- the sorcerer dispatched a few spells which Merlin simply waved aside, sending a pillar of flame at the wizard with a flash of his eyes and moving on to his next opponent. It continued like that for a while, Merlin taking out several of the magical fighters before seeing Arthur in the corner of his vision, being attacked by a sorcerer.

"Murderer! Your father killed my family!" said sorcerer was yelling, Arthur desperately dodging the magic-wielder's spells, occassionally slashing his sword through a few of the blasts of light with a barely-noticeable flash of his eyes like Merlin had taught him.

"That was my father, not me!" Arthur exclaimed, desperately trying to get the sorcerer off of him without having to reveal his powers, "Your kind will be welcome in Camelot soon!"

"Lies!" the wizard hissed, and sent a larger curse at Arthur, one which the king couldn't dodge. Merlin leapt into action.

"Hilderan!" he shouted, and a shield appeared in front of Arthur, the sorcerer turning towards Merlin in shock to see a magic-user protecting the king. Merlin waved his hand and the man was knocked to the ground, several of the sorcerers having turned to look at Merlin in surprise, including Morgana. She thrust her hand out in attempt to knock Merlin to the ground, and Merlin, sensing her magic, turned just in time to create a shield. The witch smirked.

"So, we have a traitor in our midst," she stated, walking up to Merlin through the heat of the battle. Merlin frowned, though Morgana couldn't see that through the shadows of his cowl.

"I was never on your side, Morgana," he spat, Morgana's smirk being wiped off her face to reveal a scowl, "I fight for the Once and Future King, not a false queen."

Morgana's face adopted some confusion, though her scowl remained. She sent another blast of magic at Merlin, which he easily batted away. "And you think this 'Once and Future King' is Arthur, do you? When I am rightfully queen of Camelot?"

"You will never be queen, Morgana!" Merlin spat, "Arthur is the true king!"

"And who are you to decide that!" Morgana yelled, becoming more frustrated as Merlin continued to brush her spells away.

Merlin laughed at her frustration, "I am Emrys, Morgana, and you will soon find that I am your doom," he said, surprised at the amount of fear that Morgana allowed to show on her face at those words, as he had no idea of the prophecy that Morgana had heard.

The fear on Morgana's face was soon replaced by anger as she started throwing spells at Merlin again. "_You_, Emrys? Don't make me laugh! Is the almighty Emrys so much of a coward that he hides his face?"

"My reasons are my own, Morgana," Merlin said, continuing to block her attacks, which were growing with her anger.

"That may be, but why don't you fight _back!_" she yelled the last word, and threw a powerful spell Merlin's way, which Merlin barely managed to block before his shield flickered out. Merlin smiled and his eyes glowed, him whipping up a wind as he said:

"Because I was waiting for you to get serious."

Gold flashed from under his hood.


	9. Magic

**Author's note: Thanks for the feedback! Anyway, this is the last chapter, and then there'll be a short epilogue, and a sequel, which I will post more details on in the epilogue. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Merlin._**

Arthur was glad when the druids arrived.

The sorcerers were proving to be a real problem. His knights were having trouble fighting them off, and Merlin was busy fighting Morgana, so he couldn't exactly help. Needless to say, Arthur was glad when he could finally stop fighting the sorcerers and get to the normal soldiers, if this one would just get off his back.

Arthur was worn out. He had been beating this sorcerer back for quite a while, and he was still coming at him. He needed help. He looked over towards Merlin as he fought, seeing the warlock still locked in battle with Morgana. Unfortunately, the soldier saw his distraction and took his chance, using magic to pull Arthur's sword from his grip and lodge it in the ground a few feet away. The sorcerer raised his weapon, and Arthur put his hand up, acting on instinct as his eyes flashed gold, knocking the sorcerer back. The soldier's eyes widened, and he sent a spell at Arthur, the king's eyes flashing again and a shield coming up in front of him. He pulled the shield down just long enough to send a fireball the sorcerer's way, and Merlin looked up from his battle to see the blatant display of magic.

"No..." he said as several of the knights and enemy soldiers paused their battles to stare at the king. Arthur just called his sword to his hand and jumped back into the battle, turning to look at Merlin and crying out a warning, for what reason Merlin didn't know.

Then Morgana knocked Merlin back, and he figured it out. Merlin fell to the ground, twisting his foot at an odd angle. Morgana approached as his hood fell down, and Merlin hurriedly pulled it up and attempted to get to his feet, letting out a cry as his ankle protested at the movement. Morgana smirked.

"The mighty Emrys, distracted? I would have never thought!" she scoffed, and Merlin realized that she hadn't seen the blatant display of magic that Arthur had performed. He scurried back on his knees, his ankle screaming at the movement, though he didn't let Morgana know that. She simply smiled and increased her speed, grabbing Merlin by the arm to prevent him from escaping further. She smirked.

"Looks like you're not my doom after all," she stated, and kicked him to the ground, gaping as his hood fell down once again, revealing for all to see who he was.

Merlin pulled himself up, wincing as he put pressure on his ankle, but standing, nonetheless. He smiled.

"What, Morgana, surprised to see me?" he asked, and Morgana's face flashed with hurt.

"You... but you knew, and you did nothing..." she said, shaking her head as she looked at Merlin, and pain flit across Merlin's features as well as he looked into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, and then his eyes flashed, and she was knocked backward.

That was when the dragon decided to arrive, charring the enemy as it flew.

Morgana stumbled backwards, before getting up and running off to the forest, pain written on her face. The army looked at her retreating figure, and, looking at the dragon in fear, began to retreat.

Merlin smiled. The battle was won.


	10. Short Epilogue and Sequel Details

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Merlin._**

Arthur looked at the carnage that the battle had wrought. Several of his knights were dead, slayed by sorcerers and soldiers alike. But, the battle was won. It wasn't all for naught.

"Hey, Arthur," Merlin appeared behind him, grinning goofily, and the king noticed that he could see his face. He frowned, but figured that Merlin would be court sorcerer soon, anyway. That was when his knights approached him.

"Merlin?"

"Uh, hey."

**Author's note: Okay, really short, but this is mostly just so that I could tell you about the sequel! I haven't thought of a title, and I will update here when I have and it is posted, so keep an eye out. It's going to be more of a drama, involving Morgana becoming good again. That's all I have figured out so far, so It'll be a while. You can expect the knights reactions in the sequel, by the way. **

**Anyway, if you're feeling super disappointed in me right now, as I am in myself, I have posted the Harry Potter crossover I was talking about, so I'll be working on that while I develop the sequel. It's titled "Wizards and Warlocks," and I personally consider it my best work yet, so if you really hate me for leaving you on a cliffhanger, you can go over there and crush my dreams, okay?**

**Anyway, TTFN! Ta ta for now!**


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